Found Money Source: SwagBucks

I earn Swagbucks by using their search engine, and then redeem them for Amazon gift cards.

This week I redeemed $15 in Amazon gift cards from a found money source I had forgotten about: Swagbucks.

I was a daily user of Swagbucks before my computer crashed last December. When I replaced it with a Mac and started using the Safari browser, I never made the switch back to SwagBucks.

Then Melissa from Mom’s Plans reminded me about Swagbucks while we were chatting at the Financial Blogger Conference. Big thanks go out to Melissa, because I logged on when I got home and discovered I had enough points to claim those Amazon Gift cards.

Swagbucks.com is the web’s premier rewards site. Swagbucks.com allows web users to earn virtual currency by doing the things they do every day – search the web, shopping at their favorite retailers, and by engaging in other activities such as phone recycling, submitting polls, and completing special offers.

How I Use Swagbucks

I earn the vast majority of my Swagbucks currency — called “Swag Bucks” — by using the site to do something I already do everyday: search the web.

Prior to the computer crash, I had the Swagbucks toolbar for Firefox installed so it was easy. Swagbucks doesn’t currently have a toolbar for Safari, which is what I use, although one is in the works. To combat that issue I’ve done two things:

I’ve made Swagbucks one of my favorites on Safari, so that when I’m ready to search, it’s a click away.

I downloaded the Firefox browser on my Mac and am training myself to use it and the Swagbucks toolbar more.

Other Ways to Earn

Although I earn the majority of my Swag Bucks through the search feature, there are a number of other ways to earn them:

Trading in Books, Video Games and Consoles (Cash4Books is another good option for getting rid of unwanted books)

Taking Surveys

If you’re already playing games, printing coupons, or buying Groupon offers online, you might as well earn Swag Bucks for doing it. It’s kind of fun to browse around the site and see all the ways you can earn and which ones might work for you. I saw a few I should try.

And sometimes you get Swag Bucks for doing nothing at all, unless you count being born. Last week I received 50 Swag Bucks for my birthday.

Redeeming Swag Bucks

Just as with earning Swag Bucks, there are a number of options for redeeming them.

Probably the most popular is cashing them in for gift cards. That’s what I do. 450 Swag Bucks gets you a $5 Amazon gift card. There are dozens of other stores to choose from too.

Swagbucks as Found Money

Swagbucks is a great tool to have in a found money tool box, because it’s a regular, ongoing source of funds.

I like this… do you know if the toolbar has any impact on computer performance overall? I’ve had trouble with toolbars at times, so I limit them to my “non-work” computers which can obviously impact my point gathering.

Ryan, I don’t have any trouble with computer performance when using the Swagbucks toolbar. I know what you mean, though. I don’t like to download things if I don’t have to. In this case, it was worth it to me. Hope that helps!

I love Swagbucks! My goal is $50 each month from it, and $50 from an app I use. I run Swagbucks TV in the background on my work computer and get a lot of mileage from that, plus surveys and special offers. It’s easy and it’s mostly paid for Christmas this year, new stuff we needed when we bought our new house, and, my favorite, my robot floor cleaner!

Obviously, I like numbers, but money is about much more than numbers. It's about the kind of life you want to live. So I hope that the things we talk about at The Family CEO will help you make the most of your money, but mostly I hope that they'll help you create a life that you love.

Quotable

“If you will just say, five years from today I am going to be a completely different person financially you can be.” – Dave Ramsey

Search the Blog

Archives

Disclaimer

The Family CEO is for general information or entertainment purposes only and does not constitute professional financial advice.

In accordance with FTC guidelines, we state that we sometimes have a financial relationship with companies mentioned in this website. This may include advertising revenue, affiliate commissions or access to free products and services for reviews and giveaways.

Any references to third party products, rates, or websites are subject to change without notice. We do our best to maintain current information, but some information may have changed since it was published. Please visit the referenced sites for current information.